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Swimming set for World Championship challenge

Hannah Miley and Ross Murdoch

“Our next big challenge and performance marker will be the 2015 World Championships in Russia and for some of our athletes the event in Doha provides a perfect stepping stone towards that," British Swimming Head Coach Bill Furniss

Britain’s swimmers (including Hannah Miley and Ross Murdoch) will look to bring an impressive year to a close when they compete for the right to be crowned World Champion.

A British Gas GBR Swimming Team of 12, boasting 11 Commonwealth and six European titles between them, will compete at the FINA World Championships (25m) in Doha.

The action gets underway at the Hamad Aquatic Centre from 3rd December and for five days the swimming world will go head-to-head in the faster waters of the 25m pool.

Britain’s team features the likes of Commonwealth and European Champions Jazz Carlin, Fran Halsall and Adam Peaty as well as defending Champion Hannah Miley.

British Swimming Head Coach Bill Furniss will lead the team and has challenged them to use the event to hone their skills ahead of next year’s long course (50m) season which culminates in the World Championships in Kazan, Russia.

“It’s a small team but one which is full of some of our leading performers from what has been a successful year,” explained Furniss.

“Whereas these short course World Championships are not a key stage meet for us they are still very important in terms of the development of our athletes and their racing strategies.

“Short course swimming is all about starts, turns and finishes and we will be looking to use Doha to practice and improve these skills ahead of the long course season next year.”

Following this summer’s successful Commonwealth Games for the Home Nations as well as a table-topping finish at the European Championships, Furniss and his coaching group are already implementing preparations for the sport’s next major step along the road to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

“Our next big challenge and performance marker will be the 2015 World Championships in Russia and for some of our athletes the event in Doha provides a perfect stepping stone towards that.

“The short course championships in Doha will provide a different challenge for our swimmers who have already shown their potential this year. We will of course be aiming to do well but our main goal will be to practice skills and improve our rankings on the world stage next year.”

One of Britain’s stand out performers in 2014, with Commonwealth and European titles on his debut in both competitions, is City of Derby’s Adam Peaty. And he will be aiming to continue his development as an international swimmer in Doha.

“These World Championships will be a first for me,” said Peaty, “Short course has a different feel but, once again, this event will put me under pressure to perform for my country at the highest level and that helps my development.

“It will be an amazing experience and a really good event to improve on skills and increase my exposure in that kind of environment.

"I’ve been pleased with the year to date in terms of moving things forward. There are lots of areas where I have improved but it doesn’t end there and I’m still pushing myself as I try to reach my full potential.”